Islamophobia and Twitter: The Political Discourse of the Extreme Right in Spain and Its Impact on the Public
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Olmos Alcaraz, AntoniaEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Islamophobia Political discourse Social networks Racism Extreme right Spain VOX
Date
2023-04-06Referencia bibliográfica
Olmos-Alcaraz, Antonia. 2023. Islamophobia and Twitter: The Political Discourse of the Extreme Right in Spain and Its Impact on the Public. Religions 14: 506. [https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14040506]
Sponsorship
Junta de Andalucia APIARA-SEJ-440-UGR20; "Discursos politicos, racializacion y racismo en espacios digitales: netnografia de la contestacion ciudadana y nuevas formas de participacion social". BBVA FoundationAbstract
This paper analyzes the discourse concerning Islam and Muslims by assessing the extreme
right-wing party, Vox, on Twitter. In addition, this paper examines the incidence (impact and
reactions) of this party on the users of this social network. The objectives of this study are as
follows: to identify themes and topics concerning this discourse; to analyze how the discourse
is articulated and represented; and to understand the impact of this discourse by measuring the
engagement of the most viral publications. To do so, we observed the publications posted by the
party via its official account throughout 2022. The research methodology was based on qualitative
and quantitative content analysis, and the publications themselves were monitored to ascertain the
level of engagement. The results of this study clearly show that Vox created Islamophobic narratives;
thus, Islam and Muslims are explicit targets of Vox’s hate speech. Their rhetoric referred to security
threats and threats to national identity, with the recurrent use of the idea that there is a “danger of
Islamization” in Spain. The party uses disinformation and hoaxes, and users respond in a polarized
way. The results of this study alert us to the worrying levels of radicalization and the normalization
of Islamophobic racist discourse in the examined context.